STRecruiting: 2028 Christ Church RB Michael Martin II is one of the hot recruiting names in the state as we head into game-day visits

RB Michael Martin II (5-11 190) of Christ Church burst onto the recruiting scene last season while rushing for 1425 yards and scoring a total of 30 touchdowns. Offers started rolling in earlier this year, and now Martin is ready for the next phase of the process, which is getting out to schools of interest and watching them in person.

“I think it’s been going great. Right now, I have a lot of schools that have offered me that I’m connecting with the most, like Wake Forest, Duke, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, Syracuse,” Martin said. “Those are the schools that have offered me that I’m connecting with the most on a daily basis. But then I have schools that have not offered, like Clemson, South Carolina, UNC, that are still contacting me daily. They’re also on my radar as well.”

Martin and Clemson running backs coach CJ Spiller are pretty tight. Martin has made many trips to Clemson for games, camps, and recruiting events. Spiller seems to like him and has asked him to be patient regarding a potential offer.

“He said it’s a bearing-down journey, which means it’s a long process,” Martin said. “Usually with Clemson, as they’ve told me a lot, they don’t offer just anybody, especially at running back. With them, I always keep in mind that it’s a long journey with them to get offered. But Coach Spiller, he’s just a great guy and a great coach. And he always has the best interest for me.”

South Carolina’s new running backs coach, Stan Drayton, has also been active with Martin. The two are developing their relationship, and Martin is planning to take in his first-ever game at Williams-Brice Stadium this season.

“Definitely a close relationship with Coach Drayton,” Martin said. “He checks up on me all the time. We talk weekly, so definitely a good connection there with South Carolina and Coach Drayton. I visited in the spring and went to the spring game last year. This year I went up for spring practice, and Coach came by my school a couple of times to visit me. I have to come down and meet more of the staff and build a better connection with Coach Drayton and their staff.”

As for game visits this season, Martin has two set with Wake Forest on October 3rd and November 28th. He’s also planning to get to games at Clemson, USC, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, Virginia, and Syracuse. Right now, no one is standing out as a clear-cut favorite.

“It’s just really hard because they all show a lot of love,” Martin said. “I have a connection with all the coaches right now. It’s really hard right now because it’s still really early, and that’s why the game-day visits I’m going on, I’m looking forward to seeing how they treat me then on each game-day visit. I don’t want to rush anything (on a decision). Definitely after the season ends, or if I feel like the time is right, it can happen any time if I feel in my heart that’s the right decision for me.”

Martin’s current offer list includes Wake Forest, Duke, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, Syracuse, East Carolina, and UNLV.